This recipe has its origins in a few different places, the main one being a riff on a combination I’ve explored before only this time using my own homemade black pudding. Then there’s the somewhat unusual step of cooking the lettuce which I’ve become quite fond of since having braised little gem in a few restaurants recently. I also encountered the idea in a fabulous soup from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall that really is worth making (bulk it out with pearl barley and potatoes if you want to stretch it further). I only use the outer leaves here as I find the ones in the centre aren’t tender enough.

The addition of edible flowers is something I’ve wanted to do for a good while now but my nasturtiums had other ideas as they’ve only started flowering in the past two weeks; they add a lovely bit of visual interest amongst all the green on the plate. I decided to add some mint as well because I knew it would go well with the peas but also guessed it’d pair nicely with the pudding having read on I Can Has Cook about a Jack McCarthy black pudding featuring it. Moreover, it’s one of the herbs I most associate with this time of year and I can’t imagine eating this dish at any time other than summer: all the ingredients are at their peak now and it’s a great refreshing lunch for those rare days when it’s actually hot in this country.